Overcompensating Tyrannosaurus

We've all heard the story. Guy overcompensates for a lack of...well, whatever it may be. In this instance I thought it proper to use the Tyrannosaurus as an example; tiny little arms, the Tyrannosaurus is often known as the most feared dinosaur in the...whatever period he comes from; you can see how bad I am at prehistoric history. Which incidentally, history was a Renaissance invention.


Without any further ado I present to you an excerpt from my play "Sparks of Fire."
A scene concerning the reasons why women are reluctant to vote for a man who might, emphasis on might, pre Vatican II era rules. At least half of them. The other half are either content or their husbands don't act like this.
 
            Enter FATHER. He sits behind his desk, thousands of

            papers liter his desk and some liter the floor bellow.  

            Enter MOTHER walking directly to the desk.

MOTHER: Melius. 

FATHER: Later. I’m considerably 

Busy Jane, whatever it is can wait.

 

MOTHER: You will regret that. 

FATHER: Whatever do you mean?

MOTHER: Will you look up at me for one moment?

FATHER: Where do you come off? Margret?!

MOTHER: Yes Melius,

Not Jane; though by your tone of voice you were

Thinking of her.

FATHER: No such thing dear, please, come

And sit down. I’m sorry about the mess.

MOTHER: It’s nothing I don’t contend with at home.

FATHER: Be that as it may I’m sorry. Now then,

Go ahead and talk; you’ll excuse me while

I work, I assume. 

MOTHER: I’d rather you sit.

FATHER: Nonsense, you know I’ve got a deadline dear,

Can’t be sitting on the job while at work.

MOTHER: I had the impression that you impress

Yourself upon that seat every hour

That you’ve worked.

FATHER: Heaven help me, why are you

So upset with me? What have I done now

That I haven’t done for years on end? Why

Now all of the sudden is it wrong for

Me to work while you talk, you know that I

Listen to you, don’t you?

MOTHER: Be as it may,

This conversation will require your

Undivided attention.

FATHER: Why is that?

MOTHER: The sooner you turn around I’ll tell you.

FATHER: If it’s so important you can tell me

Right now while I work, as we’ve done for so

Many years; I"ll not be suddenly told

What to do by my own wife without good cause.

MOTHER: And what about your son?

FATHER: What about him?

MOTHER: Hadn’t you better get back to work?

FATHER: Damn!

Work, what about my son? What is it dear?

MOTHER: Why so angry with me, what did I do?

FATHER: Don’t use that patronizing tone, just tell

Me what you’ve heard.

MOTHER: I thought that this

Wasn’t so important, that you couldn’t

Be bothered?

FATHER: Dear, would you please, please, tell me what you mean

When you say “what about my son?"

MOTHER: Why? Have

You reason to suspect he hasn’t been

Following your requests?

FATHER: If you must know,

I recently asked our friends--

MOTHER: Your friends dear,

I would hardly call them mine.

FATHER: I asked them

To keep an eye on Jason.

MOTHER: How much more

Money will you spend to tail our children?

FATHER: I’ve spent good money over the years to

Keep our children out of situations

That could have harmed them for life! Look at James!

I turn my back for two seconds and he

Travels across Europe with that rag tag

Band of miscreants!

MOTHER: He didn’t want that.

FATHER: Didn’t want what?

MOTHER: To be sent to Europe.

FATHER: Some things must be done for our children

That cannot be comprehended by them

Until they’re old enough to understand!

Now will you stop distracting me and tell

Me what you’ve seen?

MOTHER: The same as you dear.

Our son goes out to work and comes back.

FATHER: Yet,

He remains out at Jim’s for prolonged hours.

MOTHER: How else was he to gain from them without

Staying the ridiculous hours? How

Else was he to be promoted? How else?!

FATHER: He could have had far more if he’d gone to

Yale! Where I thought to place him! But I

Was to soft, gave in after hearing him

Plead with me for the next two months.

His ridiculous behavior has all

But reduced me to insanity.

MOTHER: Yes.

You’ve stopped shaving when you should keeping

Face with all of your adoring fans.

FATHER: How--

MOTHER: It doesn’t matter how I dare; you are

Angry with him for despoiling you of

Your image, admit it!

FATHER: Soon rectified!

MOTHER: No.

FATHER: What did you just say to me?

MOTHER: I said no.

You’ve been wondering why he spends so much

Time at Jim’s after hours?

FATHER: Yes I have.

MOTHER: And now,

We know why.

FATHER: Oh, why?

MOTHER: Our son will soon be a father.

FATHER: Disgraceful mangy little pup!

MOTHER: Arthur--

FATHER: How dare he be so foolish after all

That I’ve taught him, how dare he! Damn him! Oh!

MOTHER: Get a hold of yourself!

FATHER: Excuse me?

MOTHER: You heard me!

FATHER: So,

This is the thanks I get for thirty years

Of dedication and fidelity?

An insolent wife, insubordinate

Children?

MOTHER: Frankly I’m surprised we didn’t

Overthrow tyranny decades ago!

FATHER: Ha! Haa! Haaaa! Haaaaaaaa! Don’t make me laugh Margret.

MOTHER: If you call that laughter.

FATHER: He’s the one, yes?

He’s the one causing all of this, well.

MOTHER: What?

FATHER: My son, causing my entire family

To question my authority, well now!

We’ll change that.

MOTHER: And how, Aurthur, will you change

The Melius Revolution?

FATHER: Simple.

He got involved with some tramp, some whore off

The streets; no matter, she’ll be taken care

Of.

MOTHER: And how do you intend to take care

Of our son’s bride to be?

FATHER: Ha! Bride to be?

Don’t make me laugh!

MOTHER: I’ve no such intention.

FATHER: Here it is! One phone call and I’ll find her.

MOTHER: And what do you intend to do to her?

FATHER: What does anyone do when he finds a

Pest?

MOTHER: Are you so blinded by your post dear,

That you will threaten your son’s true love?

FATHER: Ha!

MOTHER: You’d better consider not making

That phone call.

FATHER: Whatever you say dear. Hello--

MOTHER places her hand on the receiver.

MOTHER: Reconsider.

FATHER: Have you lost your mind?

MOTHER: No.

FATHER: Our son has ruined us, stolen our son’s

Obedience; last week Oliver told

Me to go climb a tree! Susan, our daughter,

Told me that I live in the fourteen hundreds!

He’s been talking behind our backs! Taken

The family vote of confidence; you,

A voice of dissent in my house, and, to

Top it all off on an election year!

MOTHER: You should still reconsider.

FATHER: Ha!

MOTHER: Do not

Laugh at me Mr. Melius!

FATHER: Get out.

I’ll deal with you at home.

MOTHER:    Guess again.

FATHER: Excuse me?

MOTHER: If you think of calling them--

FATHER: What will you do? Go knit a sock?

MOTHER: No, dear;

But I will leave you. And if you can judge

Your son for a simple mistake without

So much as a tinge of regret perhaps

My decision wont bother you. Perhaps

You’ll merely make jokes about it to your

Friends as you’ve done for years, how I would go

To the corner and knit in order to

Overcome my feelings of abuse! But

If you think that the public will see it

That way, perhaps you’re more delusional

Than I thought! Perhaps you’ll merely shake it

Off as matters of disobedience,

Your foolish wife was exercising her

Free will, following her conscience; Damn you!

I dare you to do it! If only to

Prove my nagging suspicions, prove to me

That you are no longer the man I loved,

Prove it Melius! Prove to me that you

Love your constituency more than you

Love your family, your son; more than me.

I dare you Aurthur; prove it to me....

            FATHER looks at her with shock, dismay in his face. Slowly he puts the

            phone down....